I've been reading on the subject of the Mozart Effect, and stumbled onto this gem:
In 2001, the ‘Mozart Effect’ phenomena hit where a study found that babies can remember sounds they heard in the womb more than a year after birth after 11 one-year olds where tested. The research demonstrated that one-year-old babies recognize music they were exposed to up to three months before birth. Previously experts thought that babies could only remember anything for a month or two.
For the full article, see the New Zealand based "Arts Calendar":
http://www.artscalendar.co.nz/article/1863
Here's more:
Mozart came to the fore over other classical composers because of the pace of some of his music but there had been no evidence that playing classical music to babies helps to make their brains develop. NZSO Principal Flute, Bridget Douglas performed as part of the orchestra until a month before her 18mth daughter, Georgia was born. “She heard a lot of music in-utero,” says Bridget. “She certainly enjoys music. She hasn’t heard the full orchestra, but she perks up when she hears the flute.”
And in further health developments in 2001, British scientists found music, particularly Mozart, was seen as having a therapeutic effect on epilepsy. Short bursts of Mozart's Sonata K448 were found to decrease epileptic attacks.
Studies on rats showed that those that had listened to the K448 sonata were able to negotiate a maze faster than those that had been played minimalist music or left in silence. However further research on the ‘Mozart Effect’ must be pursued before this becomes authoritative.
In breaking news listening to Mozart helps patients perform more reliably in sight tests. The "Mozart effect" has also been associated with improved mathematical skills and improved learning among college students. Where will it all stop?
The latter issue: the more general subject of the effect of music on overall learning ability, is fascinating, isn't it?
Again, for the full article, see: http://www.artscalendar.co.nz/article/1863
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